No Cover Image

Journal article 50 views 17 downloads

Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors

Josiane Pessanha Ribeiro, Adriano Rodrigues de Paula, Leila Eid Imad Silva, Gerson Adriano Silva Orcid Logo, Carlos Peres Silva, Tariq Butt Orcid Logo, Richard Ian Samuels Orcid Logo

Parasitologia, Volume: 6, Issue: 1, Start page: 4

Swansea University Author: Tariq Butt Orcid Logo

  • 71241.VOR.pdf

    PDF | Version of Record

    © 2026 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.

    Download (1.49MB)

Check full text

DOI (Published version): 10.3390/parasitologia6010004

Abstract

Entomopathogenic fungi are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides for the control of vector species, notably the arbovirus vector, Aedes aegypti. The influence of intrinsic mosquito midgut microbiota on host susceptibility to fungal infection and subsequent physiological processes remains...

Full description

Published in: Parasitologia
ISSN: 2673-6772
Published: MDPI AG 2026
Online Access: Check full text

URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71247
first_indexed 2026-01-14T09:48:18Z
last_indexed 2026-01-15T05:29:29Z
id cronfa71247
recordtype SURis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2026-01-14T09:54:02.7510377</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>71247</id><entry>2026-01-14</entry><title>Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of &lt;i&gt;Aedes aegypti&lt;/i&gt; Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>85d1c2ddde272a1176e74978e25ebece</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-8789-9543</ORCID><firstname>Tariq</firstname><surname>Butt</surname><name>Tariq Butt</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2026-01-14</date><deptcode>BGPS</deptcode><abstract>Entomopathogenic fungi are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides for the control of vector species, notably the arbovirus vector, Aedes aegypti. The influence of intrinsic mosquito midgut microbiota on host susceptibility to fungal infection and subsequent physiological processes remains poorly understood. Here we treated female Ae. aegypti with the broad-spectrum antibiotic carbenicillin to reduce gut bacterial populations, then exposed them to Metarhizium anisopliae conidia. Female Ae. aegypti offered carbenicillin and then sprayed with fungi had significantly lower survival rates (38.9% &#xB1; 1.15) compared to non-antibiotic-treated mosquitoes sprayed with fungus (68.9% &#xB1; 0.58). To monitor the kinetics of microbial community recovery, mosquitoes were challenged with conidia at 0, 3, 6, and 9 days following antibiotic removal from the diet. Reduced survival persisted through the 6-day period (survival rates 37.8% to 45.6%), with a significant increase in survival observed 9 days post-antibiotic removal (58.9% vs. control 63.3%), which coincided with recovery of gut bacterial populations. Additionally, antibiotic and fungal treatments reduced egg production, larval eclosion, and pupal formation. These results demonstrate that gut bacteria contribute to mosquito defense against fungal pathogens and support normal reproductive and developmental functions. Understanding the interplay between gut microbiota and entomopathogenic fungi may enhance biological control approaches.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Parasitologia</journal><volume>6</volume><journalNumber>1</journalNumber><paginationStart>4</paginationStart><paginationEnd/><publisher>MDPI AG</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic>2673-6772</issnElectronic><keywords>entomopathogenic fungi; Aedes aegypti; Metarhizium anisopliae; gut microbiota; biological control</keywords><publishedDay>4</publishedDay><publishedMonth>1</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2026</publishedYear><publishedDate>2026-01-04</publishedDate><doi>10.3390/parasitologia6010004</doi><url/><notes/><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Biosciences Geography and Physics School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>BGPS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Another institution paid the OA fee</apcterm><funders>Richard Ian Samuels received funding for this research from FAPERJ (Funda&#xE7;&#xE3;o Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo &#xE0; Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), grant number: 200.377/2023, and from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient&#xED;fico e Tecnol&#xF3;gico), grant number: 309975/2021-2.</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2026-01-14T09:54:02.7510377</lastEdited><Created>2026-01-14T09:43:17.1722030</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Josiane Pessanha</firstname><surname>Ribeiro</surname><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Adriano Rodrigues de</firstname><surname>Paula</surname><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Leila Eid Imad</firstname><surname>Silva</surname><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Gerson Adriano</firstname><surname>Silva</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1445-9758</orcid><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Carlos Peres</firstname><surname>Silva</surname><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Tariq</firstname><surname>Butt</surname><orcid>0000-0002-8789-9543</orcid><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Richard Ian</firstname><surname>Samuels</surname><orcid>0000-0003-1814-2456</orcid><order>7</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>71247__35986__fae515a8525e4267a5788843e717336b.pdf</filename><originalFilename>71241.VOR.pdf</originalFilename><uploaded>2026-01-14T09:47:24.5347473</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>1561402</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>Version of Record</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><documentNotes>&#xA9; 2026 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2026-01-14T09:54:02.7510377 v2 71247 2026-01-14 Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors 85d1c2ddde272a1176e74978e25ebece 0000-0002-8789-9543 Tariq Butt Tariq Butt true false 2026-01-14 BGPS Entomopathogenic fungi are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides for the control of vector species, notably the arbovirus vector, Aedes aegypti. The influence of intrinsic mosquito midgut microbiota on host susceptibility to fungal infection and subsequent physiological processes remains poorly understood. Here we treated female Ae. aegypti with the broad-spectrum antibiotic carbenicillin to reduce gut bacterial populations, then exposed them to Metarhizium anisopliae conidia. Female Ae. aegypti offered carbenicillin and then sprayed with fungi had significantly lower survival rates (38.9% ± 1.15) compared to non-antibiotic-treated mosquitoes sprayed with fungus (68.9% ± 0.58). To monitor the kinetics of microbial community recovery, mosquitoes were challenged with conidia at 0, 3, 6, and 9 days following antibiotic removal from the diet. Reduced survival persisted through the 6-day period (survival rates 37.8% to 45.6%), with a significant increase in survival observed 9 days post-antibiotic removal (58.9% vs. control 63.3%), which coincided with recovery of gut bacterial populations. Additionally, antibiotic and fungal treatments reduced egg production, larval eclosion, and pupal formation. These results demonstrate that gut bacteria contribute to mosquito defense against fungal pathogens and support normal reproductive and developmental functions. Understanding the interplay between gut microbiota and entomopathogenic fungi may enhance biological control approaches. Journal Article Parasitologia 6 1 4 MDPI AG 2673-6772 entomopathogenic fungi; Aedes aegypti; Metarhizium anisopliae; gut microbiota; biological control 4 1 2026 2026-01-04 10.3390/parasitologia6010004 COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee Richard Ian Samuels received funding for this research from FAPERJ (Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), grant number: 200.377/2023, and from CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), grant number: 309975/2021-2. 2026-01-14T09:54:02.7510377 2026-01-14T09:43:17.1722030 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Josiane Pessanha Ribeiro 1 Adriano Rodrigues de Paula 2 Leila Eid Imad Silva 3 Gerson Adriano Silva 0000-0002-1445-9758 4 Carlos Peres Silva 5 Tariq Butt 0000-0002-8789-9543 6 Richard Ian Samuels 0000-0003-1814-2456 7 71247__35986__fae515a8525e4267a5788843e717336b.pdf 71241.VOR.pdf 2026-01-14T09:47:24.5347473 Output 1561402 application/pdf Version of Record true © 2026 by the authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
spellingShingle Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
Tariq Butt
title_short Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
title_full Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
title_fullStr Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
title_full_unstemmed Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
title_sort Antibiotic-Mediated Microbiota Depletion of <i>Aedes aegypti</i> Gut Bacteria Modulates Susceptibility to Entomopathogenic Fungal Infection and Modifies Developmental Factors
author_id_str_mv 85d1c2ddde272a1176e74978e25ebece
author_id_fullname_str_mv 85d1c2ddde272a1176e74978e25ebece_***_Tariq Butt
author Tariq Butt
author2 Josiane Pessanha Ribeiro
Adriano Rodrigues de Paula
Leila Eid Imad Silva
Gerson Adriano Silva
Carlos Peres Silva
Tariq Butt
Richard Ian Samuels
format Journal article
container_title Parasitologia
container_volume 6
container_issue 1
container_start_page 4
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 2673-6772
doi_str_mv 10.3390/parasitologia6010004
publisher MDPI AG
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description Entomopathogenic fungi are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides for the control of vector species, notably the arbovirus vector, Aedes aegypti. The influence of intrinsic mosquito midgut microbiota on host susceptibility to fungal infection and subsequent physiological processes remains poorly understood. Here we treated female Ae. aegypti with the broad-spectrum antibiotic carbenicillin to reduce gut bacterial populations, then exposed them to Metarhizium anisopliae conidia. Female Ae. aegypti offered carbenicillin and then sprayed with fungi had significantly lower survival rates (38.9% ± 1.15) compared to non-antibiotic-treated mosquitoes sprayed with fungus (68.9% ± 0.58). To monitor the kinetics of microbial community recovery, mosquitoes were challenged with conidia at 0, 3, 6, and 9 days following antibiotic removal from the diet. Reduced survival persisted through the 6-day period (survival rates 37.8% to 45.6%), with a significant increase in survival observed 9 days post-antibiotic removal (58.9% vs. control 63.3%), which coincided with recovery of gut bacterial populations. Additionally, antibiotic and fungal treatments reduced egg production, larval eclosion, and pupal formation. These results demonstrate that gut bacteria contribute to mosquito defense against fungal pathogens and support normal reproductive and developmental functions. Understanding the interplay between gut microbiota and entomopathogenic fungi may enhance biological control approaches.
published_date 2026-01-04T05:33:37Z
_version_ 1856805816524341248
score 11.09611

Similar Items